Windsor West New Democrat MP Brian Masse is making another push to get his private memebers' bill to create a national urban park at Ojibway across the finish line with the help of the community.
On Saturday afternoon, in partnership with Wildlands League and Friends of Ojibway Prairie, Masse will hold a BBQ to launch a lawn sign campaign to rally community support to help get Bill C-248 passed.
The bill is currently awaiting Senate approval.
Masse says each of the 500 signs created and printed locally, will have a scannable QR code on them.
"They're very positive and they show the Gordie Howe Bridge in the background, and in the foreground is the enviromental shot that's really nice. And it says 'Supporting Ojibway National Urban Park For The Future', and making sure that we get the legislation passed, because that's the difference, if we don't get the legislation passed, we can't protect it forever."
In the spring budget, the Liberals pledged $36.1-million over 5-years to establish Ojibway National Urban Park.
Masse says on top of making sure the bill passes in a timely manner, there's more at stake.
"There's 550 endangered species that we have right in our own backyard, and people don't even really recognize that because we haven't been really promoting it as we should have, and at one point if you remember the port lands that are now the Parks Canada lands, we're described as scrub brush, but it turns out to be they're some of the most important lands for species protection in all of Canada."
He says the community is welome to attend without RSVP.
"We have about 500 signs, and we already have about 100 that have already been registered. If you can't make the event, you can contact my office and you can also contact Friends of Ojibway and others, and we'll take your name and number down and you can also pick up the signs at my office."
The event will take place at MicMac Park, Carmichael Road entrance off Matchett Road from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 28.
More informaiton can be found here: https://connectivity.wildlandsleague.org/ojibway-national-urban-park/.